Charles e



Patented May 9, |899.

c. E. Bul-1K. AUTCMATIC FEEDER FOR TOBACCO LEAF STEMMING MACHINES.

(Application filed Aug. 30, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Tn: Nonms vams m. wnoroumo. msnm 4 3o struction Whereby the fixed or lock action of 4o a copending application, Serial No. 689,856,

UNITED STATES ,y

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. BUEK, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE UNIVERSAL STRIPPING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR TOBACCO-LEAF-STEMMING MACHINES.

v SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,450, dated. May 9, 1899.

Application led August 30, 1898.

To LU whom it may concern/.-

Be it known vthat I, CHARLES E. BUEK, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a new 5 and Improved Automatic Feeder for Tobacco- Leaf-Stemming Machines,of which the follow ing is a specification. y

This invention is in the nature of an improved automatic mechanism for feeding tolo bacco-leaves in proper position to be engaged by and operated on by automatic means for stripping the leaf of its stem; and it primarily has for its object to provide a feed mechanism for the purpose stated of a very simple 5 character which will expeditiously and positively feed the leaf Without danger of tearing -or otherwise mutilating the same. Y

Generally my invention comprehends a suitable table or bed on which the leaf is laid 2o by hand and an intermittently-operated carrier having a duplex movement, whereby to first move the leaf to bring its butt-end in position to be engaged by the means for carrying it to the stripping or stemming mechanism and at the same time positively grip or hold theleaf locked to such position to assure its being fixedly held While it is being grasped by the said carrying mechanism, which also comprehends a certain novel conthe carrier Will be released at predetermined intervals to provide for the uninterrupted Withdrawal of the leaf therefrom when engaged by the carrying mechanism.

3 5 In its more specic nature my invention embodies a construction of feed mechanism adapted for use in combination with a particular construction of stripping or stemming mechanism which forms the subject-matter of filed on even date with this application by A. R. Allison and myself, and I therefore in the accompanying drawings illustrate my improvements in combination with so much of the stripping or stemming mechanism forminga part of the aforesaid copending applica.-l tion as is necessary to properly disclose the operation of my automatic feeding mechanism.

I desire it understood that in its broad na- 5o ture my improved form of feeder mechanism shaft.

Serial No. 689.852. (No modeLl may with slight modilicalions be used with othertypes of stripping and stemming means. This invention therefore consists in such general construction and combination of parts, which will be first described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a stemming-machine, showing the corela- 6o tion of my feeder devices therewith. Fig.. la is a detail view of a part of the mechanism for operating the feeder-mechanism drive- Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of my improvedfeedermechanism. Figisatransverse section thereof, taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa plan view of the delivery end of the feeder mechanism. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken practically on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail view 7o of the front end of the feeder mechanism, the rest or lock member being shown swung down in dotted lines; and Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the manner in which the clamp member of the rotary leaf-carrier engages the rest or lock member. 4

In the practical construction my improved feed mechanism comprises a feed table or platform having its delivery end arranged in such close proximity to the stemmer mechan- 8o ism that the butt-end of the leaf can be grasped by suitable gripper devices forming a part of the said stemmer mechanism. When used in combination with and forming a part of the complete machine disclosed in the copending application above referred to, the delivery end of the feed-table has an open way 10X, through which the periphery edge of the rotary leaf-carrier ct moves. This carrier, it should be stated, has a series of radially-ar- 9o ranged gripper or clamp jaws b on one face adapted to open and close at predetermined intervals, they being open as they approach the feedway and constructed to close` immey diately they pass into such feedway and 95 when in line to grip the butt-end ofwthe leaf, as clearly shown and described in the application referred to, the position of one of such clamp-jaws beingindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

To make the operation of the stemming mechanism more clearly understood, a gen-- eral description of the same, it is thought, will suffice to make clear the coaction of my improved feeder mechanism therewith.

The rotary carrier a is held to rotate over and between the wiping-line 0f a pair of endless wiper-belts c c', mounted, respectively, on a pair of rolls c2 c2 and c3 c3, mounted on suitable drive-shafts and held to travel in a line at right anglesv to the movement of the rotary leaf-carrier, as shown in Fig. l. The carrier a as it grips the leaf conveys it by the butt-end to the entrant end of the wipers, as indicated inFig. l, and then draws it longitudinally of such wipers and approxi-mately at right angles therethrough, the leaf separations hanging pendent from the wipers, while the stems are drawn up therethrough and carried intofa stem-discharging means consisting of a pair of endless bands d d, mounted on suitable pulleys and so arranged -that the stem as it enters at the point indicated by the arrow X will pass forward, then laterally, and be discharged to one side of the machine in the direction indicated by the arrow Y.

When arranged as shown in the drawings, my improved feed mechanismis driven from a main drive-shaft l, receiving motion from the stemming-mechanism-operating gearing,-

and for such purpose the shaft l (which has one end journaled on the main frame 2) has a chain-wh-eel 3, geared by the chain 4 with a similar Wheel 5 on the short shaft (3, carrying at its rear end a tappet-wheel 7, having radially-projected tappets 7.

The shaft lis arranged to be intermittently operated, the purpose of which will presently ferred to and as clearly shown in Figs. 1

and la. While I have shown and described this form of mechanism for operating the shaft 1yet the same, per se, forms no part of this invention, it being apart of the joint application made by A. R. Allison andpmyself, before referred to, it being understood that when my improved feed mechanism is modified for use in connection with other types of stemming mechanism the shaft 1 may be intermittently operated by any suitable gear mechanism driven from the main or stemmer-mechanism drive-gearing.

The table or bed of my improved automatic feeding mechanism has an inclined feedway in line with the gripper edge on the rotary leafcarrier and has at the outer or delivery end 'a stop or rest member 62, on which the buttend of the leaf is temporarily lodged in proper position to project in the path of the rotary carrier-grips, such leaf being held in such temporary position by intermittent sweeparms 63, which at predetermined intervals, governed by the operation of the shaft l, are swung back or released to permit the rotary carrier-grip (which grasps the butt-end of the stem during such backward movement of the sweep-arms) to pull the leaf out of the feedway, previous to which, however, the grips engage and move the rest 62 to an open position and allow the leaf to fall, as will presently be more fully described. The sweep-arms G3 project radially from a shaft 64C, longitudinally journaled under the table 60, and are adapted to sweep transversely through slots in the said bed or table 60. The shaft (i4-receives intermittent motion by means of the chain belt 65, which engages the operating-shaft l, heretofore referred to.

In the practical construction of my improvement the shaft 1 is intermittently operated in such a manner that the sweep-arm shaft 64 will receive intermittent rotations sufficient to actuate one of the sweep-arms to feed a leaf in position for each grip of the rotary carrier as it approaches the delivery end of the feedway. Thus when one of the cams of the cam-wheel engages the tappet-wheel it rotates the shaft l and 64 sufficiently to move one of the sweep-arms to slide the leaf down into the feedway with its butt engaging the rest member 62 and projecting in the path of the carrier-grips. At this point it should be stated that when the leaf is thus fed it is held from passing down by reason of the rest 62; but at this time the operating-shaft l is still being rotated through its drive-gearing, such further rotation, however, being of a limited extent and for the following purpose: The sweep-arms have at their outer end very flexible spring-fingers 7G, which bend back and lock against the leaf during. the end of the intermittent rotary action of the shaft 64 and during the release of the rest 62, which is eflOO IIO

fected just before the sweep-arms release y their pressure on the leaf, such operation beby a suitable spring) and throwing it to its open position, in which it is held by the grip during the passing of the same beyond the delivery-opening of the feed-table.

On the sweep-arm shaft 64 is ixedly held the disk 78, having a series of radial notches 78a, equal in number to the number of sweeparms carried by the shaft 64,and suitably supported is a spring 79, held under tension to bear on the peripheral edge of the said disk 78, and which when any one of the notches comes in proper position drops therein and imparts a partial reverse motion to the shaft 64, sufficient to throw back the sweep arm or arms pressing down on the leaf, which operation occurs almost simultaneously with the closing of the carrier-grip on the butt-end of the leaf, it being understood that the relative arrangements of the said notched disk and the operating devices for transmitting an in'- termittent rotary action to the shaft 64 is such -that the gearing for driving the shaft I becomes inoperative j ust as the notch of the disk 7 S comes into line With the throw-back spring.

The leaves are laid on the table by hand with their butt-end against the front guideplate 78, and to properly guide them onto the rest-plate 62 a iiexible finger 80 is provided, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, andto snpport the rear end of the leaf one or more iiexible spring-fingers 81,secured to the front plate 82 of the supporting-frame, are provided, as

clearly shown in Figs. 4E and 6. In operation after the leaf is placed upo the table by hand the sweep arm or arms will move it into the feedway, Whereit is momentarily held while one of the grips of the rotary carrier closes on the butt-end thereof. The leaf is then pulled out of the feedway and as it hangs pendent drawn in the'entrant en of the Wipers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a tobacco-leaf-stemming machine, in

' combination with the stripping mechanism; a

leaf-feeding means arranged in close relation to the stripping mechanism to bring the buttend of the leaf in position to be caught thereby, said feeding means comprising a table and a leaf-rest; an automatically and intermittently operated carrier for moving the leaf sidewise into position onto the rest, and' means for disengaging the said carrier from the leaf, as and for the purposes described.

2. In a tobacco-stem ming machine; the combination with the stripping mechanism and a` rotary leaf-carrier adapted to hold and carry the leaves by their stems to the stripping mechanism; of an automaticallyoperated leaf-feed mechanism adapted to carry the leaves singly with their butt-ends in position to be engaged by the leaf-carrier, and including devices for gripping the leaf as the leafcarrier moves in position to catch the buttend of the leaf as specified.

3. In atobacco-stemming machine; the combination with a stripper mechanism; of a leaffeeding means adapted to bring the leaves singly With their butt-ends in'position to be caught by the stripper mechanism, said feed mechanism including a table having a feed- Way and a leaf-butt .rest in the delivery end thereof; an intermittently-operating shaft; a

disengaging such pusher-arms from the leaf at predetermined intervals, for the purposes specified.

4. In a tobacco-stemming machine; in combination with the stripper or wiping mechanism; a leaf-feeder arranged to bring the leaves singly with their butt-ends in position to be engaged by the stripping mechanism, said leaf-feeder-comprisinga supporting-table and a feedway having a leaf-butt rest at the said end; an intermittently-operated shaft disposed longitudinally of the table.; one or more sets of radially-extending leaf-pusher arms, said arms having a resilient leaf-engaging portion, and means for imparting a reverse rotary movement to the intermittently-operated shaft at predetermined intervals.

5. In a tobacco-stemming machine; in combination, With the wiping mechanism, a carrier adapted to hold and carry the leaves by their stern ends to the Wipingmechanism; of a leaf-feed mechanism having a feedway Whosefdischarge end projects in the path of the leaf-carrier a leaf-stop or rest member in such discharge end; a shaft journaled length- Wise of the feedway and having one or more radial pusher-arms formed With resilient leafengaging portions adapted to press the leafbutts against the feedway; drive-gearing operated in conjunction with the leaf-carrieroperating mechanism for imparting an intermittent motion to the pusher-arm shaft; a peripherally-notched disk carried on the said shaft; and a back-pressure spring engaging the peripheral edge of the disk, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

6. In a tobacco-stemming machine; in combination with the stripping mechanism, said mechanism including a leaf-carrier adapted to hold and carry the leaves by their stembutt ends to the wiping-surfaces; of a feed specified.

CHARLES E. BUEK.

Witnesses:

R. A. COFFEE,

S. S. P. PA'rTEsoN.

IIO 

